Come.Follow.Fish

My life has seen some pretty big changes in the last 12 months-new ministry, new  city, new home, new friends…and a constant barrage of new experiences! Normally, I’m a pretty good friend of change, but I can appreciate why it’s hard for a lot of people…especially when the change is not desired, expected, or of our own choosing.

The changes of 2016 have been very positive for Becky and me. But there have been times in my life when change was definitely not positive. In the past, I’ve experienced changes that were accompanied with powerful feelings of loss; a loss of my calling, influence, livelihood, fulfillment, friends…and personal identity.  Change isn’t always happy. Sometimes, it’s downright hard.

For some of us, the very thought of change is tinged with deep feelings of anxiety. We’d rather settle for the malaise of what we know, than plunge into the utter uncertainty of what we don’t. When change is forced on us by circumstances beyond our control, we look for someone to blame. We wonder if we’ve missed God’s will. We might even begin to secretly question God’s wisdom, providence, or goodness.

In my life, I’ve found that the uncertainties of transition are actually very beneficial.  Change reminds us that God alone is our security. Change produces Christlikeness. Change calls us back to our core identity in Christ and weans us off of the fragile and earthly things that we use to prop up our sense of worth and identity.

So here’s a few helpful thoughts when faced with imminent change:

1. Keep a journal. Write down your prayers. Reflect on your learnings
2. Cling to the promise of Genesis 1:2 (when formless and void, and darkness covers the face of the deep, The Spirit is hovering over the waters…When all is ready, God will say, “Let there be light.”)
3. Realize that you are not alone. The path of the pilgrim has been well trod. It’s the norm for every follower of Jesus
4. Remember that God’s greatest desire is your Christlikeness, not your productivity. He is more concerned with what you are becoming, than with what you are accomplishing
5. Get back to the basics. Serve whoever God puts in front of you. Be the voice and hands of Jesus wherever you are…and your life will feel purposeful, even in the midst of significant change.

I’m not much for ‘new-year resolutions’ …though I did take out a gym membership and have started eating fish for dinner. My trainer tells me I need to lose 12 pounds. Ok…that’s a good resolution. (It’s SMART: specific, motivational, achievable, realistic, and trackable)

Every year on New-Years Day, I meditate on Colossians 3:14-17. In these verses, the apostle lays out some of the most awesome new-year’s resolutions ever!

1. Clothe yourself with love
2. Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart
3. Let the message of Christ dwell in  you richly
4. Do everything in the name of Jesus
5. Give thanks! (a lot)

Get these down…turn them into SMART goals…and everything changes! You’ll become a much better person…and the world will become a much better place.

(Ok…I’m still going for the 12-pound resolution)

The Triumphal Entry was a bust. Jesus was riding high in the polls. A few days later, his numbers were in the tank. Where were his political advisors? I’m no expert on running for office, but if I were his chief strategist, I’d offer him this advice:

1-GET A BETTER SLOGAN. ‘Repent, the Kingdom is Coming’ is catchy, but not cool.  ‘Pick up Your Cross and Follow Me’…a bit of a downer…and too many words for a baseball cap. How about ‘Make Israel Great Again!’

2-AMP UP THE BRASHNESS. Throw a few punches. Fling out a few insults. Meek and humble of heart doesn’t win elections. Tossing the money changers out of the temple was a good move… Do it again.

3-LOOK MORE KINGLY. ‘You rode into town on a donkey?’ Really?!  Where’s the platinum-plated chariot? You wore a simple servant’s tunic? Really?! Where’s the Trump tie? You need to look like a King if you want to be a King.

4-BULLY THE BULLIES. Herod, Pilate, Caesar…we’re totally surrounded by bad guys! You need to show us that you can stand up to them. Quit telling people to love their enemies, turn the other cheek and go the 2nd mile.

5-WIN OVER THE RIGHT. God-fearing people are your most likely base of support. Convince them that you’re one of them. (Calling them  ‘hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs and a brood of vipers’ isn’t helpful.)

6-COZY UP TO A FEW HIGH CAPACITY DONORS. (But do it discreetly) Elections are won with big cash and major endorsements. Probably not a good idea to tell the rich young ruler to ‘give it all away’ before he could follow you.

7-BE THE CHAMPION OF FAMILY VALUES. That’s your space! We all know that you believe in the family, but you create unnecessary misunderstandings when you say things like ‘If anyone loves father or mother more than me, he’s not worthy of me’.

8-PROMISE PROSPERITY AND FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL. There’s nothing good about poverty. You should say ‘Blessed are the rich!’ It’s great that you healed a few of the blind and lame. Why not promise healing for all? Better yet…eradicate disease forever.

9-BUILD A WALL AND MAKE ROME PAY FOR IT. Make it hu-u-uge! The Syrians, Samaritans and Romans are taking over our country! Don’t say that our temple is supposed to be ‘a house of prayer for all nations.’ It’s our temple! Don’t say that people from the East and West are going to sit at Abraham’s table. It’s our table! Quit making Samaritans and tax collectors the heroes of your stories.

10-HANG ON TO YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE! There are lots of questions about where you were born. You say ‘Bethlehem.’ Lots of people say that you’re from Nazareth. Why so many questions…better have proof or ‘the Birthers’ will get you.

GOOD THING JESUS WASN’T RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!

Shepherds lead their sheep.

I read a cool thought this morning from James Merritt…

A group of tourists in Israel watched as a flock of sheep was herded into town. While taking photos, one of them asked the guide, “I thought the shepherd led the sheep from the front. Why is he in the back?”  The guide replied, “He’s not the shepherd, he’s the butcher.”

Jesus leads us beside still waters. The butcher drives us from behind

To say you love Jesus while dissing his friends is nutty.  Jesus was ‘a friend of sinners’ (Matthew 11:19). Friends are kind, trusting, and accepting. They don’t put you down or deliberately hurt your feelings. They don’t make you feel worse about yourself than you already do. They listen to you and seek to understand. Friends are loyal, protective and trustworthy. They like hanging out with you. They make you smile. They laugh when you laugh and cry when you cry. Friends are willing to tell you the truth, but they’re respectful, sensitive to your feelings, and slow to condemn.

What if the followers of Jesus were a little more like Jesus? A little less condemning…a little more like-able? Friends?

I fail to see how making light of those who struggle with their sexual identity makes us more like Jesus. Ridiculing gays and trans-genders (like Caitlyn Jenner) is hardly ‘the act of a friend’. It’s demeaning, disrespecting, and de-valuing. Not what friends do! It’s nutty to think that you can love Jesus and diss his friends.

Been thinking a lot about this… Wondering how much more passionate and courageous I would be if these were my ‘1st truths’

1. I DIED. My true life (identity and mission) is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3) In Christ…
2. I am a Son of the Father. My primary identity is not in what I do or what I’ve achieved. Who I am is who’s I am
3. I am ‘a Sent-One’. “My nourishment is to do the will of him who sent me.”
4. I am a servant. “I  did not come to be served, but to serve.”
5. I am a friend of sinners. “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”
6. I am a Kingdom voice. “I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom for that is why I’ve come”
7. I am a defender of the poor and powerless. “I have come to proclaim good news to the poor.”
8. I am a disciple-maker. “Follow me, as I also follow Christ”
9. My goal in life is to become ‘a Jesus Junior’ …to believe what he believed, behave the way he behaved, and join him in his mission
10. I will give my everything for Him. He gave his everything for me

So this morning I’m out snorkeling at low-tide. The surf is pounding hard from a tropical storm off the coast of Mexico…but it’s at least 50 yards off in the distance. The beach is peaceful and deserted. Only one set of footprints have scarred the sand since dawn. I’ve got this beautiful place all to myself.  I throw my stuff on a rock, slip on my prescription goggles, and slide into the warm tropical water. The reef is amazing: angelfish, clownfish, puffer fish, surgeonfish…underwater caves and colorful coral formations. Wow…I’m mesmerized. The minutes slip by. I drift in the current. I lose track of time. Suddenly, off in the distance, I see through my goggles what appears to be a plastic bag drifting toward the ocean floor. I’m appalled. Who would trash this pristine marine mecca? I get closer. The bag has car keys in it. Oh no…it’s my rental car keys! I quickly snatch the bag and ascend to the surface. I look around for the big black rock on which I’d put my stuff. Uh…oh, the tide has made a quick comeback. The rock has almost disappeared beneath the waves. Panic hits. I frantically swim for the rock, fighting against the waves and currents. Thank God, I see my green shirt. My eyeglasses were tucked inside the shirt. I pick up the sea-soaked shirt. Stupid shirt! My glasses are gone. Out to sea. This is going to be a really lousy vacation! I can’t see anything without my prescription lenses. I start praying hard. For the next half hour I scour every inch of the ocean floor within 30 feet of the rock. I search the sand, the rocks, the coral, the seaweed, the underwater caverns. I go over every detail of the constantly changing marine terrain. Distracting fish are all around me. Yellows, blues, reds. A small octopus drifts by. I’m singularly focused. I’m praying hard under the waves. Then…amazingly, I spot a couple of familiar looking sticks protruding out from between some coral. It’s the temples of my glasses. Thank you Jesus! I can see.

There’s got to be a sermon illustration in this. I’ll figure that out later. For now…I’m just thankful! During tomorrow’s low tide, I’m not leaving my stuff anywhere near the water

Ok…so Becky broke her ankle while we were scrambling over some slippery rocks down at Playa Negra. Bummer for her. Bummer for us. Vacation won’t include soaking in the hot springs,  riding horseback to the Rincon waterfalls, tubing the Tempisque, exploring the jungles of Manual Antonio, or taking long leisurely strolls on Playa Blanca. More time to write, reflect, and pray. More opportunity to serve and care for my bride…probably a good thing…maybe a God thing.

Last night, after getting back from the hospital and settling Becky onto the sofa, I went out for a quick bite at the local cafe. Best chicken sandwich ever. Best fries ever. The chef (Garrett) walked away from a promising culinary career in Santa Barbara. Like everyone else down here, he lives on next to nothing. A very friendly outgoing guy…he fits in with the locals. The barista (Orion) used to run a thriving coffee shop in San Fran. Weary of the rat-race, he migrated down here for the quietness of the jungle. Every morning he gets up with the sun to spend a couple hours surfing before work. He’s lucky to make $6/ an hour…think’s it’s good money. He didn’t come here lured by the promise of success. Gabriella works behind the counter. Dark, swarthy skin. Long braided dreads wrapped up in a bun. Very athletic. She surfs for two or three hours every morning, rain or shine. Say’s that surfing inside the curl “is a spiritual experience.” Her husband left her three months ago. Moved back to Santa Cruz. Took the kids with him. She freely admits her  brokenness. “It’s my fault. I gave all of my attention to the kids.” In spite of her pain, Gabriella is a caring sweetheart. Very ‘other centered’. Yesterday afternoon, she showed up at the front door of our condo with a pineapple smoothie laced with ‘something special’. “Secret recipe, good for achy bones and whatever else ails you” she said. (Hmmm…unfamiliar taste. I wonder what was in it…)

The tiny outdoor cafe was filled with an assortment of interesting people. Apart from a handful of Ticos, most of the diners were transplanted gringoes: a gay couple, a land developer down on his luck, a handful of vacationing surfer dudes, and an old geezer who’d been drinking most of the night. (“I’ll help you carry your wife upstairs, but you probably ought to know that I’m drunk. My brother just died.”)

Interesting people. Everyone has a story… a reason for being here. For some it’s the promise of anonymity. For others it’s the surfing, the adventure, the women, the laid-back pace of life. For still others, it’s an escape. My sense is that everyone here just wants to be loved and accepted. Not judged. I wonder how Jesus would care for this gaggle of friendly gentle-hearted individualists.

Becky prayed with a lady she met in the emergency room of the clinic. Yesterday, we had our first ‘spiritual conversation. Praying for a full-on opportunity to share Jesus.

Being a pastor is risky business. A few years back, I made a list of my top 10 greatest concerns about being a Pastor. Every now and then, I need to go back and remind myself of these things. So here’s my list…here’s why I’m afraid to be a Lead Pastor. I’m afraid…

1. I’ll confuse my role with my identity
2. I’ll fall into doing more than being
3. I’ll use people rather than loving them
4. I’ll serve more out of emptiness than overflow
5. I’ll perform for an audience of many rather than an audience of one
6. I’ll measure my success by plates and pews, butts and bucks
7. I’ll focus on the church and forget the Kingdom
8. I’ll develop a culture of deficit rather than a culture of gratefulness
9. I’ll read God’s Word to preach it rather than read it to live it
10. I’ll get so wrapped up in my outer world that I neglect my inner world

Jesus…

1. Revealed the Father
2. Messaged the Kingdom
3. Served the poor and powerless
4. Friended sinners…and
5. Made disciples who went out and did more of the same

What if every Jesus follower simply did what Jesus did? I think we’d be known for what we’re for rather than for what we’re against… and we’d never run short on stories of life transformation.